Shatter
by Ghene
Summary: GOING THROUGH RENOVATIONS
1. 69 Tea

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but my soul, and even that's debatable. If Static Shock were mine, Richie would get a lot more face time.

**Notes: **My first Static Shock fic! Be gentle! I was captivated by Richie's sheer adorableness one day and it has refused to let me go ever since. The plot for this fic started when I remembered something my friend told me about how, idealy, the human brain has enough power to preform telepathy and telekinesis if used to the maximum. I have no idea how true it is, but I've done enough research on the subject to feel confident enough that there at least some people out there who do believe it to be real. That being said, I thought about how Richie's power is related to his brain becoming more powerful, and how after the second Big Bang in "Power Outage" everyone seemed to become more powerful with the extreme amount of gas inhaled except for Richie (although there were no further episodes so that can't really be said). And I also recently just saw "Gear", which helps support this theory as "Gear" states that Richie indirectly inhaled the gas - which could indicate that his power could be on a completely different level if he had inhaled the gas directly. And thus the plot bunnie formed :D All of these theories will be discussed later on in the fic by Richie himself.

**Notes Take Two: ** After seeing "Static Shaq" this afternoon... has anyone else ever realized how...well, _mean_ Virgil can be to Richie sometimes? Not just in this episode, but in others? It's like Richie annoys him half the time. I know he really cares for Richie, but still, he should be nicer! Richie also points this fact out later on in the story as well :p **And on that note I will say that this story HAS SLASH. **

Enjoy!

* * *

**Shatter  
Chapter One  
**

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_  
_

The clock ticked painfully slow within the heated classroom, giving the day an unwelcome eternal feel. Mrs. Witham's monotone drawl was drowned out by every snap of the seconds hand, unusually sharp in his ears. Closing his eyes, Richie tried desperately to focus on his teacher's voice, willing for some sound other than that incessant ticking to penetrate his senses.

He'd been having this same problem concentrating all week. Something of the utmost annoyance would catch his attention and refuse to leave him alone until something of even greater irritation came along.

Or until his skull began to ache with searing pain. Whichever one came first.

Today it was the pain.

"Oh, God…" he moaned, clutching his hands to his head. Detachedly, he noticed that there was a loud drumming sound coming from the corner of his desk.

The pain worsened.

"Richie?"

"God…" It was more of a sob now.

"Rich!"

"S-stop yelling…"

"Mrs. Witham! Something's wrong with Richie!"

"S-stop…."

Opening his eyes, Richie caught sight of a blurry Virgil gazing down at him in alarm, and his pen bouncing around on his desk as if his friend's unease were causing him to use his power in nervousness. A spike of pain shot through his skull and he witnessed his pen take one final leap, before suddenly his vision went black.

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

He could feel the light through his eyelids. Intense and burning, he felt as though his eyes were open and he were staring directly into the sun.

God, how he wanted that light to shut off.

A crackle sounded, followed by a surprised gasp, and suddenly his translucent vision was dark.

Oh. Well, that was convenient.

"You there!" an angry voice shouted somewhere to his side. Richie was about to reply, when a familiar voice beat him to it.

"I didn't touch anything, I swear!"

Virgil.

"Do you realize that tampering with hospital equipment is against the law? You've created a short circuit throughout this entire room and potentially put your friend in danger!"

"But I didn't do anything!"

_Jeez, Lady. Shut up…_

And then there was silence.

Peeking one eye open, Richie searched the darkness for any sign of his friend and the nurse who had been screaming at him. When his sight fell upon the comforting silhouette of Virgil, he sighed.

At least the nurse was gone.

"I think even the Justice League heard her," he muttered under his breath, struggling to sit up. The pain in his head had calmed to a dull ache, allowing more room for clear thought. Temporarily ignoring Virgil's cry of relief, Richie tried to understand the situation he was currently in. He'd fainted, he gathered, in the middle of English class from a particularly nasty migraine, and had awoken, from the sounds of it, inside of an electrically challenged hospital. Comforting.

"Richie! Man, are you all right?"

"Super like the Man of Steel," Richie replied through gritted teeth, as what felt like a shockwave sparked through his system. He gave Virgil a look.

"Are we having sunspots again?"

Virgil looked at him blankly. "Uh, no.… Why?"

"Because you short circuited the room and just now you shocked me."

"That wasn't me!"

"Oh, right. It was just some other meta-human who has the exact same powers as you. But you can't see him 'cause he's invisible."

Opening his mouth to retort, Virgil paused for a moment, before giving a heavy sigh, apparently deciding that riling his friend up in his current state of injury wasn't worth it.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the gas station."

"What?" Richie's mind immediately began to run through calculations of which side of the gas station would prompt the worse behavior the next morning based on heat, light, and any other outside factors. It was only after he had discovered that the west side was his final answer, that he had realized it had been a rhetorical statement.

"Nevermind," Virgil said, as he let out a spark from his fingertips, causing the lighting above to snap back into action. Richie groaned and closed his eyes again.

"Sorry, man. I just couldn't take not seeing your beautiful face." Virgil's tone was teasing, but Richie wasn't in the mood.

"Did they say how long I have to be in here?" the blonde countered, ignoring his friend's statement. Virgil took the hint and shrugged.

"They said that when you woke up, the doctor wanted to look at you one more time to make sure you were okay and then you could le-" Virgil paused at the look Richie gave him and appeared slightly embarrassed, "I should probably go get the doctor, huh?"

"Probably."

"Rawr," Virgil hissed as he got up to leave, indicating that he did not appreciate Richie's snippy tone. Richie merely rolled his eyes and turned over so that his back was facing the door. His head was beginning to hurt again.

And damned if that light wasn't annoying.

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

"So, are you feeling less like Sharon when she PMS's?"

Richie glanced up from his work on a new set of Zap Caps and met Virgil's offended eyes, having the decency to flush from embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry, man. I wasn't feeling like myself."

"I'll say…" Virgil laid a hand on Richie's shoulder as he passed as if to inform his friend that they were cool, pausing when he caught sight of what Richie was twiddling with. "What're you doing with those?"

"I'm upgrading them so that they send out an electric pulse when activated."

"Well, that's handy," Virgil complimented as he picked a Zap Cap up to inspect it. On the outside it looked the same as the originals.

"I thought so." Richie grinned, pleased with himself for a successful invention. His smile faded, however, when the police scanner suddenly went off, alerting his attention. Pushing away from his workstation, Richie rolled himself on the chair over to the scanner, turning up the volume.

"_A new meta-human has been spotted in the downtown Dakota area. Call for back-up! Approach with caution! Meta-human is unstable and can control anything metallic! I repeat, approach with caution!_"

"Well that sounds like a rocking good time."

"You sure you're feeling up to it?"

Richie felt his cheeks heat up when he caught the obvious catch of worry in his friend's tone.

"I'm fine, V," he assured, "C'mon, we can try out the new Zap Caps on this guy. The electricity should interfere with powers."

"I don't know… I still think you should sit this one out."

"V!"

"Fine, fine, fine. But if you have another spazz attack and go unconscious on me during the middle of the fight, you can't yell at me for letting you break into a million pieces as you fall and I'm too busy fighting this guy."

"Fine," Richie paused, "Lovely mental image by the way."

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

They called him Magnitude. Magnitude. Gear wasn't exactly sure who 'they' were, but apparently, they called him Magnitude. It was strangely fitting.

The bang baby they had tracked down was in the midst of creating a powerful magnetic field around any metallic object that seemed to be in his way. So far these objects included police cars, garbage cans, and a puppy held against a light pole due to its metal collar.

Turning so that Magnitude was in his line of sight, Gear had backpack scan the meta-human's vital signs, searching for any weaknesses that could be used to his advantage. He rolled his eyes when his search came up fruitless. Of course.

The idea to try out the new Zap Caps had quickly been dismissed upon the realization that this meta-human was a living magnet. And magnets were only strengthened by electricity.

That was where Static had unsuccessfully come in. And that was where Static had stayed. Locked in a stalemate where all they seemed to be doing was trying to make a stronger magnetic field than the other; Static's to protect the people and Magnitude's to hurt them.

Gear needed to find a weakness. He needed to find a weakness to stop this guy. A weakness, a weakness… Where was his super brain when he needed it?

His head was starting to hurt again. And something was shrieking in his ear.

Shaking his mind clear, Gear brought his attention back to the fight. The shrieking grew louder. It sounded familiar…and it began to take shape.

"GEAR!" Jerking his head in the direction of the scream, Gear caught sight of Static's distressed gaze just in time for his mind to process the slight buzzing sound that seemed to be growing by the second. Whipping around, his eyes widened as the speeding bullet hurled towards him and time seemed to slow almost to a halt. Thousands of thoughts crossed through his accelerated mind. Who had shot the bullet? Why had they shot at him? Why wasn't Static saving him?

Closing his eyes tightly, Gear threw his crossed arms in front of his face in a pathetic last effort to save himself.

_Please, God_…

The buzzing stopped.

Not believing his ears, Gear snapped his eyes opened and lowered his arms hesitantly, nearly falling back when he saw how close the bullet had been to hitting him before it just….froze. In midair. Gear glanced up at Static who was staring at him with the same relieved shock that Gear knew his own face mirrored. The relief soon turned to strain as Static slowly lowered the two helicopters he was controlling with both hands to the ground. At least now he knew why Static couldn't save him.

The crowd was cheering loudly for Static's heroic efforts; not only because he had saved the people in the helicopters, but because he had also somehow managed to save his partner's life from the rogue bullet.

Gear knew for a fact that it hadn't been Static who had saved him. A sick feeling began to grow in his stomach.

He had a feeling he knew who had.

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

"I can't believe he got away!" Virgil cursed as he led Richie into his room. The blonde nodded distractedly. Not noticing, Virgil tossed his book bag on to the bed and jumped up next to it. "On the bright side, he couldn't be all bad. He saved your life, right?"

Richie perked up at the statement. Of course! It had been _Magnitude_ that had stopped the bullet! Not—

"He must be pretty strong to have done it without being there, though."

Richie felt his brief glimmer of hope disappear.

"Right."

"Are you feeling okay? I mean… I know I would be freaked out if I almost got shot."

"Pfft. In our line of work? When _don't_ we get shot at?" Richie tried with a forced laugh. Virgil gave him a suspicious glance, before shrugging it off, knowing when not to prod.

"Anyway. Do you think you could whip something up to help me beat this guy?"

Richie shot Virgil a grateful look.

"I think I could work on a depolarizer."

The vocabulary was lost on Virgil. Richie couldn't help but grin.

"It makes things un-magnet-y."

"Oh…Right."

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

The next few days occurred with little incident, and Richie felt as though he could merely pass everything off as a few days of no sleep and jalapeño pizza before bed.

It had all been in his head. Right. Sitting in history class Monday morning, every theory that had passed through his brain in the past week or so to explain whatever it was that was wrong with him just seemed silly. Everything had all been in his head.

"Foley's such a jerk. He tries to play it off like he doesn't pay attention in class, but everyone knows he reads the chapter the day before just to act like a showoff."

Richie froze at the voice.

What?

Straightening up in his desk, he tried to pinpoint exactly where the insult had come from. However, he found himself drawing a blank; the voice had sounded like it had been in his _head_.

Craning his neck, he ignored the odd look Virgil was shooting him and attempted to see if he could find whatever bitter soul had been so cold as to make that statement aloud. And why was Virgil looking at him like that anyway? Shouldn't he be busy defending his best friend's honor?

And why was the class so wrapped up in Mr. Honsa's elaborate and amusing lecture on World War I when someone was obviously trying to start a fight.

"What is Richie looking at? He's going to get in trouble." It was Daisy's voice. Whipping around, he found his friend staring at him in confusion. Rolling his eyes, Richie waved off the concern.

"No, I'm not."

The class stilled.

"Excuse me, Mr. Foley?" Honsa had turned from the board and was staring a Richie with a firmly raised eyebrow.

"I, err, nothing," he muttered, turning red. Daisy's look of concern only intensified for a moment, before she turned around and went back to her notes. Sighing, Richie slouched down in his chair.

"Great. Some ass behind me can mock me publicly but I can't even defend myself to Daisy?"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Virgil hissed incredulously. He was staring at Richie as if his friend were insane.

It was then that Richie realized how different his voice sounded from the others'. It was more solid and secure, while Daisy's and the Mystery-Insulter's were almost wispy.

Well, shit. He really was going insane.

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

"Richie, man. We need to talk."

"Why don't I like the sound of this?" Richie wondered, peering up from his spot on the gas station floor. Virgil frowned.

"Probably because I'm about to question your sanity."

"V-man, we're living in a city where super villains pop up daily from being ordinary people, we're the superheroes, and we're like this," Richie held up his hand with two entwined fingers, "with _The Justice League_. I'd say sanity left me along time ago."

"Richie! I'm being serious!"

Richie really didn't want to deal with this right now.

"V! Would you just drop it?"

A strange calm seemed to settle over Virgil and he nodded, speaking in an odd voice.

"Okay."

What?

Richie frowned. He knew Virgil. He _knew _Virgil. He knew Virgil right down to his secret 'appreciation' for the Backstreet Boys. And he knew Virgil would never, ever, drop something unless he had gotten down to the bottom of it and under.

So he repeated his previous thought.

What?

"V? V, I was just kidding… don't drop it." _Go back to normal_…

Almost as if Virgil had been a dummy brought to life, the irritation and concern he had been expressing before were back on his features, and his voice was strong and angry once again.

"Richie, we need to talk about this. You've been acting weird for the past few weeks! More weird than usual!"

On any other day, Virgil's insult would have requested a snarky retort from Richie in response. Today, however, the implication passed over his head.

Richie's fears had been confirmed.

"Virgil…about that bullet…"

"Is _that _what made you flip today?"

"Yes- I mean! No… I mean!…Kinda."

The look Virgil gave him was anything but comprehending.

"Okay, Rich, now run that by me again, but this time make sense."

Sighing, Richie ran his fingers through his hair. "Right… the bullet."

"Made you flip out today…" Virgil continued for him.

"Indirectly."

"Meaning?"

"Virgil?" Richie said in a voice that he hoped conveyed his seriousness. The dark-skinned boy nodded and sat up.

"The bullet…Magnitude didn't stop it."

Frowning, Virgil cocked his head to the side. "Okay. If he didn't stop it, then who did?"

Richie stared at the ground as he swallowed thickly, taking a large breath.

"I did."

* * *

**TBC **

* * *

**AN:** There's a reason Richie's not happy with his new cool powers. That'll be discussed next chapter :)  



	2. Whisper

**Notes:** Okay, so only _now_ have I seen the episodes with Madelyn, and I was very saddened by the fact that there had already been a person in the series with both telekinesis and telepathy...but, the story shall continued! I just added awareness of Madelyn into the story to accomodate the episodes. Also, I lied. You don't find out why Richie's upset about his powers in this chapter.

**warcong:** Wee! Richie!love! And haven't you noticed how when V and Richie fight, it's _always_ Richie who's the first to apologize? I've always wanted Richie to stand up for himself and just smack V.

**Hybridbabe:** Mwahaha. I have corrupted you! And yes, I love Richie way more than Virgil, but I know why... because he's just so. Freaking. Adorable.

**Dimitri A:** Aww, it's okay. You can still use the idea of Richie's powers, I won't mind :)

**Stranj100: ** Shh! Don't spoil it for the others :p

And to all the other reviewers, thank you so much! The reviews keep me writing and make me feel better when I'm down! Especially since someone just reviewed my other Static Shock fic _purely _to say "eww" because "omgslashisgross" and they were too mean to just ignore the fic and move on. Man, I hate people.

* * *

**Shatter**  
**Chapter Two**

* * *

**  
**

Vigil stared incredulously at Richie as he let his friend's words sink in, not able to comprehend what should have been a simple sentence.

"…Say what?"

Sighing, Richie fingered the edge of his tattered pant leg. There was a hole where there should have been solid denim and his mother was always after him to buy a new pair.

"I said… I stopped the bullet."

"Meaning…?"

"_Meaning,_ I said 'Abra Kadabra' and the bullet magically stopped!" Richie hissed sarcastically, rolling his eyes. What did Virgil want him to say?

Cocking his head to the side, the boy in question frowned. Richie sighed again and rubbed the bridge of his nose, willing his mounting headache to go away.

"Something's happening to me V…I think I know what it is...but I'm not sure. I know I stopped the bullet."

"But… _how_?" Virgil wondered, eyes wide with confusion. Richie felt a stab of uncalled for irritation in the back of his mind and had to fight not to snap again in response. What was wrong with him? He was never this moody.

Well, if you exclude that one time Virgil accidentally scratched Backpack's new sensory plate.

"I don't know how. I think it had something to do with the second big bang."

The blank look littering Virgil's features remained in place. Groaning to himself, Richie stood and walked over to his work desk, eyes taking in each of his unfinished inventions. In a split instant, he visualized exactly what parts he needed in order to complete Static's new waterproof recharger, frowning when he realized the items were all the way on the other side of the room.

He paused as a thought occurred to him. Taking in a deep breath, Richie glanced over his shoulder at Virgil, who was gazing at him with curiosity.

"Watch this," he mumbled, praying to whatever gods existed that he was wrong about what was happening and simply losing his mind. Closing his eyes, Richie envisioned the exact pieces he desired, willing them to leave their positions on the gas station floor and make their way over to him. A loud gasp from behind told Richie all he needed to know.

"You…you can control…?"

"Yeah."

All at once Richie felt himself being lifted up and spun around to face his grinning friend.

"Wow, Rich! That's amazing! You can control metal!"

Oh, for crying out…

"No, V. I can't control metal."

The confusion was back at full force.

"But you just-"

Taking a step backwards, Richie raised his hand and concentrated on the empty pizza box sitting on the couch. Dragging his arm in a circular motion, Richie felt an odd sense of calm fall over him as he watched the box spin around.

"Y-you're…"

Closing his eyes once again, Richie led his thoughts into the recess of Virgil's mind. Might as well get it all over and done with.

_Telekinetic._

Virgil yelped and nearly fell over, eyes darting around the room as if to locate the source from which the voice had come from. His gaze landed uneasily on Richie.

"Were you just _in my head_?"

_Yes_.

"Gah!" Virgil jumped again. "Don't _do _that!"

_Sorry_.

Richie chuckled at the glare Virgil shot him.

"Sorry."

Dusting himself off, Virgil stood and played it as if he hadn't just acted like Ebon in a room full of light.

"So you're…telepathic, too?"

"I…guess so."

"Like Madelyn Spalding?" The way Virgil said the girl's name made Richie think his friend was speaking of Sharon after a particularly nasty fight. He smiled faintly.

"As far as I know, she never had both powers at the same time…and she wasn't a super genius to top it off. But I promise I won't turn you into a Brain Zombie."

"But….does this mean you have the potential to?"

"Sure."

"…Whoa."

Richie sighed at the wary look his friend was giving him.

"Yeah. Whoa."

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O **

There was a strange tapping sound somewhere near the back of his brain. It started out as a dull thud and ended in a gunshot. No matter how hard he tried to block the noise out, it continued on. And it was beginning to take shape, sounding oddly like his name.

"Richie."

The similarities were uncanny.

"Rich!"

How very eerie…

"Richie!"

Wait…

Starting from his light sleep, Richie forced his eyes open and blearily glanced at the illuminated clock beside Virgil's bed. 2:43am. He blinked.

_V. Go to sleep._

"I told you not to do that!"

_I'm too tired to talk._

"Rich!"

"Fine." Rolling over, Richie yawned and glanced at his friend through half-lidded eyes.

And since when did they start sharing Virgil's bed?

"Since you fell asleep here during the movie and hell if I'm sleeping on the floor in my own house," Virgil commented offhandedly, shifting so that he was lying on his back. Richie blushed, unaware that he had been broadcasting his previous thought.

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's cool, man." Virgil looked at Richie out of the corner of his eye and grinned. "Anyway…"

"Ah, yes. Please, let us reach the reason for which I was rudely awakened."

Snickering, Virgil rolled over on his side, facing the blonde once again. "Admit it. Me being the first thing you see when you wake up just makes your day a whole lot brighter."

Blushing, Richie had to fight to keep his mind blank after that comment, instead trying to find some sort of distraction for his thoughts. The color of Virgil's new curtains was a start. They were an orange color, like the shirt Virgil always wore. The shirt Virgil always wore, except for when he was in bed. Like he was now. The shirt Virgil always wore, except for when he was in bed, because when he was in bed, he chose to be shirtless.

Shirtless.

In bed.

Next to him.

Shit.

Turning his head away to hid the flush of his cheeks, Richie sat up and nearly tripped over himself in his haste to get out of the bed. He didn't have to look twice at Virgil to know that his thoughts had been loud enough for his friend to hear. Quickly grabbing his book bag, Richie ignored the way his chest hurt when Virgil didn't call for him to stay or ask him what was wrong.

Shit.

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O **

Shit, shit, shit.

Shit.

Those were the only thoughts running through Gear's brain as Static found himself soaked to the bone and being held up against a wall by yet another new bang baby.

"You'd think… the good doctor would have worked up another antidote to the bang gas to… help out with you new baddies?" Static forced out with a weak laugh as he tried to push against the aquatic meta-human in vain. The criminal looked vaguely like a watery version of Hotstreak. Only ten times stronger.

Shit, shit, shit.

"GEAR! Those thoughts? _Really_ not helping!" Static shouted, his tone decidedly less light. Gear frowned and tried to control the hurt that shot through his mind. When Backpack had picked up the signals of Trident, this new bang baby, Gear had had a long debate with himself on whether or not to show up. Finally deciding that he should at least try to help Static, he made his way to the city hall, which brought him face to face with his current predicament.

And with Static practically radiating hostility that Gear hoped to whatever gods existed wasn't pointed towards him.

Shit, shit, shit.

"_GEAR_!"

Closing his eyes, Gear nodded to himself. This was no time for self-pity. Grabbing hold of a Zap Cap, Gear aimed it at Trident and threw with all of his might, feeling a sense of relief wash over him as the weapon surrounded the villain and sent out shock after shock of electricity, temporarily paralyzing Trident on the spot.

"Well…that went better than expected," Gear muttered to himself, reaching for another Zap Cap. His attack was halted by a sudden burning sensation on his right arm. Another sting followed quickly and soon Gear found himself at the bottom of City Hall's steps, bleeding profusely from one arm where Trident's water whip had sliced him.

Shit, shit, shit.

Where was She-Bang randomly popping up with irritatingly good timing when you needed her?

If only Gear could somehow recharge Static and, at the same time, get Trident closer to the telephone lines…

That was it!

Closing his eyes, Gear envisioned a Zap Cap leaving his utility belt and making its way over to Static. When he heard his partner cry out in triumph over the crackling of electricity, he knew he had completed the first part of his plan. And now for Trident…

Gear opened his eyes and struggled into a standing position, raising his arm to help control the direction of his power. Focusing on Trident, Gear felt an intense pressure build up within his skull, almost to the point of agony. But he was so close…

Swinging his arm up in the direction of the telephone wires, he felt the pain suddenly die away and be replaced with the same odd sense of peace he had felt at the gas station when he had lifted the pizza box. It ran through his entire body, setting his senses on fire and easing his scattered thoughts away to a place where he wouldn't be forced to dwell on them. It told him to close his hand tightly into a fist and bring it down rapidly as if in anger.

All at once, the feeling was gone, and Gear's vision suddenly cleared, making way for the numbing headache that he knew was about to befall him. Clutching his hands to his head, Gear fell to his knees, gasping from the excruciating pain. His vision was blinded and he felt as though he had been abruptly dropped into a whirlwind of ice and fire all at once, skin burning and insides freezing. He was suffocating and choking and aching and crying and god, he just wanted to die.

"Gear? Gear!"

_Don't come near me don't come near me don't come near me…_

"G-gear…I…"

_It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts…_

"Gear, we need to get you help!"

_I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared…_

"Gear…it'll be okay… please, you're scaring me, too… let's just get you some help…"

_It's dark in here it's dark in here it's dark in here…_

"I know, it'll be okay."

_Don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me…_

"I won't….I promise, I won't."

** O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

When Gear opened his eyes, the first thought that came to mind was that he wasn't in his room. The second was that he wasn't in Virgil's room either. The third was that he wasn't in the gas station and the forth was that he really didn't know where he was.

But there was a warm hand holding his and somehow, it made everything better.

"Gear? You awake?" Static.

"No. I sleep with my eyes open." Turning his head towards his partner, Gear shifted so that he was in a better position to have a conversation. He blushed when he realized it was Static's hand he was holding.

Having enough sense not to mention the contact, Gear instead turned his attention back to the strange room they were in. "And we are where?"

"Guess."

Gear raised an eyebrow and focused on Static, trying to ignore the way Static's playful smile gave him butterflies.

Virgil didn't hate him.

"I could never hate you, dumbass. Now guess."

"I…err," Gear's face, if possible, turned even pinker and he forced himself to play along with Static's little guessing game.

"A hospital?" he wondered, noting the bright white lights that hovered above him. Static's grin widened.

"Close."

"A room that looks almost identical to a hospital?"

"Even closer." Starting at the new voice, Gear sat up abruptly and felt a wave of nausea overcome him. Turning his head to the side, all etiquette and manners slipped his mind as his stomach turned itself inside out.

"Uhm, eww," Static muttered, watching his friend retch with the sickening interest of a rubbernecker at an accident scene. Glancing over at the tall figure by the door, Static shrugged.

"He's been like this ever since the baby started to kick."

"Fascinating," Superman smirked, leaning against the doorway. "You the father?"

"Sure, why not?"

Gear gasped as a new surge of vomit coursed through his system.

"Hey, I'll try not to take that personally!"

* * *

**TBC

* * *

**

**Note: No, Richie is NOT pregnant. Guys, it was just a joke on Virgil's part. I've had too many people ask me if I was serious or not.  
**

* * *


	3. Soul

**Shameful Plug: Everyone go read my other Static Shock story, "Fade Away" ;)**

**Wrongful Vanity: ** You...you just win the entire internet XD Your review was my favorite purely because it says how much you know me and you were just like, "Yeah...the chances of you finishing this? Zero to none. But at least try to get one or two more chapters in before you abandon it!" It made me smile quite largely. You totally get a gold star.

**Saturn's Hikari: **XD, yes, I was just kidding. Richie's not pregnant (though it worries me how many people thought I wasn't kidding). And I know exactly how you feel. It's my rule in life, really. The more I love the character? The more angsty he will be. Bwaha. And you'll just have to see who helps Richie ;) -- Also, Frieda and Daisy will be in it next chapter with cameos and such. And don't worry, long reviews make me inexplicably happy :)

**Soon to be world renown Gracie: **Your review made me smile. I have defenders of justice and slash! ;3 -- While it wasn't on this fic that I got flamed (I have yet to get a bad review on this one...which makes me worry that now that I've said it, the bad reviews will come pouring in XD; ), I still muchly appreciate your comments and your 'deep thoughts' and I'm glad you like the story so much :)

**LTC:** A review like that makes my day :) And yes, I too think it's totally unfair how Richie's constantly being the damsel in distress (I loved it in "Gear", however, when Richie's like "I'm coming to save you!" and Virgil's just like, "...say _WHAT?_"), except for in "No Man's an Island" and "Hoop Squand". Uhm, because Richie in bondage and/or severe pain? That's just pure love right there. And it's also really sweet though, how whenever Richie's hurt or captured, Virgil's mind suddenly just becomes one-track like "Save Gear. Save Gear. Save Gear. Save Gear." :3

**Dmitri A: ** XD yes, well X-Men is very handy. I'll give you (and anyone else who's reading this part) a sneak preview and say that I may have stole a bit of Richie's later craziness from Dark Phoenix XD;; And agreed. The League pwnz. I'm also incredibly flattered about the compliment of keeping V and Richie in character. I think that's the biggest compliment I can get :)

**richie4:** Err...what's up with the end is that Virgil is joking with Superman while Richie is in extreme pain?

**Kari Ana:** /flattered/ Thank you so much for your review! It made my day. And I'm not really trying to kill you, because that would mean no more lovely ego-boosting reviews from you ;3

**silentremorse:** Nope, not a jalepano-pizza induced dream and he's not going to be a parent either. V was just joking ;p

**Shannon:** I'm glad you're impressed :) - And yeah, I agree. Angsty!Richie is good, but Weak!Richie? Now that's just out of character XD

**Princess of Mirrors: **No, Richie's not actually pregnant, silly! And I'll attempt to finish these stories. Attempt XD;

Also cookies to **Onyxlight, WildfireFriendship0, Nerb, LunaGoldsun, MeLaiya, jigsaws231, sheraven, stranj00, Hybridbabe, SailorVegeta, SnakeMistress, **and **tp96** for making me smile with your reviews as well!

* * *

**Shatter**  
**Chapter Three**

* * *

"Well…at least your helmet was off," Virgil offered as he took a seat by the window of their temporary quarters, giving his partner a guilty grin. Richie responded to the comment with a nasty glare as he threw on a new shirt lent to him by The Flash. It was about a size or two big on him, but he liked his clothes baggy anyway. And it was a huge step up from his vomit-covered costume. Virgil, on the other hand, had simply removed his jacket and mask, seeming comfortable enough in his black undershirt and uniform pants. 

"So…you want to tell me why we're at the Watchtower?" Richie wondered suspiciously, stretching out on one of the large beds that filled the room. Virgil tore his eyes away from the expanse of space outside of the window that had caught his attention and glanced over his shoulder at the blonde.

"I don't know… somehow it just seemed like a really bad idea to bring you to the local hospital on Martin Luther Boulevard. You know, with our secret identities and all."

"But… how did you get in contact with the League?"

Virgil grinned and shrugged. "You know that communicator Batman gave us and told us to use only for emergencies?"

Richie nodded and stared at Virgil blankly for a moment, before his brain finally caught on to what Virgil was saying. "V! This isn't an emergency!"

"Uhm, yeah, when my best friend is screaming at me telepathically about how much he hurts and how scared he is, I consider that an emergency," Virgil retorted, looking non-to-pleased at Richie's attempt to lessen the gravity of the situation. Richie flushed and turned his head away.

"Did I really do that?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh…I, uh, don't remember that," Richie admitted under his breath, adverting his eyes to an odd shaped stain on the comforter. Frowning, Virgil stood and made his way to over to his friend, sitting on the edge of the bed by Richie's feet.

"Really? Do you remember anything?"

"Uhh…you getting your ass kicked?"

Virgil rolled his eyes and cocked an eyebrow. "How convenient," he smirked, grabbing a pillow from the floor and chucking it at Richie's head. Richie grinned and laughed, catching the pillow deftly in his hands.

"So what now?"

"Now…" There was a long pause as Virgil glanced at Richie out of the corner of his eye, before he blushed and shook his head. "Uh, now…we go to the main control room."

Richie stared at Virgil suspiciously as he stood. "Sure."

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

In retrospect, Richie probably should have anticipated the sudden downpour of nerves that hit him the second he stepped into the Watchtower's main control room. He'd almost passed out from excitement the first time he'd been in the presence of the Justice League and this occasion seemed to be no different. Sitting down hesitantly in the chair that J'onn J'onzz held out for him, Richie took a long moment to study the faces of the superheroes that stood before him, trying to gauge how he should treat them based on his remembered impressions of each.

_Let's see…_He mulled as he began to go down the line in order. _Batman, I'm on pretty good terms with… Hell, I was even his first choice when it came to fixing the time machine when Virg got trapped in the future…The Flash, I thought was pretty cool with me…Superman, I think I was okay with him too…Never met Wonder Woman, but If I'm cool with even **Batman** then she should be all right…J'onn likes everybody…GL, well, aside from that whole me and Virg trying to kill him thing, I think we're pretty okay…_Riche paused as he focused on the last person in the row. _Okay, scratch the whole part about if I'm in Batman's good graces, I can make it with anyone. Hawkgirl is definitely pretty damn scary._

"Oh, am I?"

Choking on the air that suddenly seemed lodged in his throat, Richie allowed himself the decency to flush.

"I, uhm…shit."

"Nice move, Rich. While you're at it, what do you think about me?" Virgil snickered as he leaned his arm on the back of Richie's chair. Richie's face, if possible, became even redder and he emitted a soft growl of embarrassment.

_You're a giant dick._

"Aw, you don't mean that."

Groaning, Richie buried his face in his hands and mentally wished for Virgil to go off alone and do some rather rude things to himself.

With a wicked grin, Virgil elbowed Richie's shoulders. "Not without you, bro."

Richie began to choke again.

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

"Well, now that you two are through with your taunting…"

"You dudes _are_ through, right?" Flash cut in with a grin, giving Richie the distinct impression that the older superhero really didn't _want_ the taunting to be over. J'onn, however, gave no time for comment as he continued on with what he had been saying.

"Now that all this has ended, I wonder if we would be able to begin with the examination…."

Richie froze. "Wait, what?"

With a strange cough, Virgil stepped away from his side, clearly avoiding eye contact. "Oh…right…and then there was that little detail about some tests the League wants to run on you like you were some lab rat to experiment with that I forgot to mention…"

Rolling his eyes, Richie tried very hard not to reach out and strangle Virgil.

"….I think I hate you right now," he muttered under his breath.

"Ah, ah ah…If you don't have anything nice to say…"

_Curse you in my head?_

Virgil cocked his head to the side and frowned. "Hey, now, that's cheating."

"Children!"

Suddenly feeling several years younger than their age, Richie and Virgil adverted their gazes to the floor, mumbling a guilty "sorry" in unison. J'onn merely stared at them for a long moment, the smallest shadow of a smile littering his features, before he stepped over to the chair Richie currently resided in.

"Now, Gear…if you'd please lean your head back…" he murmured as he got into position behind the chair. Richie raised an eyebrow and looked at Virgil skeptically, before doing as he was instructed.

"Now… close your eyes and relax…"

All at once, Richie could feel the martian's comforting presence within his mind, dipping in and out of every hidden recess. He nearly moaned out loud from the tender mental strokes when they brushed against his pleasure lobe. Smiling to himself, he sunk down deeper into the chair, feeling as though his entire body was being wrapped in a soothing warmth.

As abruptly as the pleasure came, it was ripped away, replaced by a deafening pain. Clutching his head in his hands, Richie tried to stifle the scream that was fighting its way up his throat, willing the angry bolts of fire that seemed to penetrate his skull to stop. It was getting harder to breathe.

: _Gear… Please try to relax…:_

The voice pierced through his mind and only caused the pain to increase.

: _Calm down…relax…_:

"S-s-stop--"

: _Gear… Richard…it's all right…:_

"S-STOP--" Richie's word's erupted into a shriek as a blinding flash suddenly sparked before his eyes and his world was instantly at peace.

The silence was even louder than the pain.

Breathing harshly, Richie tried to ignore how the wisps of air escaping his lips were the only sounds emanating from the room.

_J-J'onn…_?

He waited for a moment, feeling his blood run cold when he received no reply.

_J'onn…?_

The image of Virgil at the gas station, suddenly falling into an eerie calm, flashed through his mind.

_J'onn!_

Forcing his eyes open, Richie sat up in his chair, feeling a wave of nausea hit him as he took in the sight before him. The sight of Virgil and The Flash standing frozen in front of him with identical looks of concern written on their faces. He didn't have to turn around to know what he'd see when he gazed at J'onn. Scrambling out of his seat, Richie nearly tripped as he made his way out of the room, eyes darting around nervously, afraid that the walls, with their ears and eyes, were ready to punish him for his crime.

As he turned a sharp corner in the hallway, he slammed head first into Batman, mumbling a shattered apology as he pushed past the superhero and continued to run as far as he could go.

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

"Lucy…you got some splainin' to do…"

The voice was soft and teasing and enough to make Richie jump off the perch he had made for himself in the Watchtower's abandoned storage room and race to Virgil's side in relief. Before Virgil could get another word out, he found himself engulfed in an emotion-filled hug and felt a grin line his face in spite of himself.

"Well…this is a nice change from being cursed at and frozen in place."

"Fuck you…" Richie muttered, mentally scolding himself for his inability to keep his voice from growing thick. "How…?"

"Pfft," Virgil pulled away and smirked, giving no indication that he was aware that his best friend was currently on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Richie was eternally grateful. "You may be little Miss Teen Psychic, but J'onn takes the Queen's crown any day."

Looking away and making as if he had gotten something stuck in his eye, Richie snorted. "Did you just refer to J'onn as a Queen?"

"I also just referred to _you_ as a 'miss.'"

"Somehow? A lot less insulting."

Virgil grinned and threw an arm over Richie's shoulder, pulling his friend close in a reassuring sign of amity.

"Are you going to tell me what happened out there?" he pried, trying to keep his tone light. Richie cocked an eyebrow at him and bit his lip, seriously considering the question.

"Probably not," he replied after a moment, briefly lifting up his shoulders in a shrugging motion. Virgil frowned.

"Are you going to tell me ever?"

"Maybe."

"Are you at least going to tell me what J'onn's deepest darkest secret is because I know you pried into his head as much as he did into yours?"

With a small smile, Richie laughed. "Well…it's not really a secret of J'onn's as much as it is a secret of Superman that he promised to keep."

Perking up with interest, Virgil turned to face the blonde fully, eyes wide and curious. "Spill."

"Okay okay!" Richie grinned and paused for dramatic effect. "Superman…He has a tape recording of Batman singing in the shower, provided by The Flash, hidden in his room that he holds over Batman's head as a way to make sure Bats is more sociable."

Groaning in disappointment, Virgil frowned. "And that's secret how?"

"When he's alone he likes to listen to it. A lot."

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

Meetings in the Watchtower's conference room were never known to be a good thing. They were considered to be a symbol of dread, a sign that something very serious, and potentially dangerous, was on the way. They were looked at as a last resort to solve a growing problem. A way to brainstorm ideas on how to prevent the next apocalypse.

Not to figure out what to do about a growing teenage boy.

And yet… here were the seven core members of The Justice League, each taking up a spot at the elliptical table, waiting anxiously to chalk up their slight sense of unease to a superhero's paranoia.

Making his way to the head of the table, J'onn took his seat and sighed.

"The boy is more powerful than we thought…" he began gravely, already knowing he had no need to clarify which boy they were to discuss. The Flash nodded his agreement.

"It was like the dude was in my head controlling my body – _making_ me freeze--"

"It _was_ an accident, right?" Wonder Woman interrupted, standing from her seat and resting her hands on the table. Batman gazed at her cooly out of the corner of his eye.

"And if it wasn't? Gear was able to stop three superheroes in his tracks with one word. What are you going to do to him if he actually tries next time?" The tone of his voice relayed that he firmly believed the entire incident was not intentional on Gear's part and was fully ready to contest were anyone to believe differently. Not daring to level with Batman on a subject that, for some reason or another, the man cared about, Wonder Woman merely frowned and took her seat once again.

"So what do you propose we do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow to accompany the soft drumming of her fingers on the table. Batman shrugged and stood, indicating that, at least in his view, the meeting was over.

"Help him."

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

It was warm where he was. Safe. Comforting.

Groaning, Richie rolled over in bed, opening his eyes slowly to reveal the familiar sight of his bedroom wall. He briefly glanced over to the clock on his nightstand and a small whimper escaped his throat.

7:20am. Time to get up for school.

With a suffering sigh, Richie forced himself to roll out bed and stumble his way to his closet.

"Mrrr…shirt…" he mumbled incoherently, grabbing the first article of clothing his eyes landed on. It occurred to him only after he was about to step out of the door to his room that he probably needed to put on some pants as well. Staggering to his drawer, Richie pulled out the top pair of jeans and yanked them on.

It took him two tries before he realized he was putting them on backwards.

After his third and successful attempt, he made his way back to his bed, reaching down on the floor to locate a pair of shoes.

"Mff…sneakers…" He paused as his hand brushed against something smooth and large. "Mmf..?"

Lying back, Richie scooped the object up from the floor with one hand, bringing it into his line of vision.

It was a helmet.

An orange helmet.

With a green visor.

The first thought that crossed Richie's mind was that orange wasn't really his color. By the time the second thought came around, however, he was beginning to think more clearly.

"What the…" Sitting up, Richie turned the helmet over in his hands, studying the various scanners and sensors the object presented. As he looked down at the floor for any sort of clue as to where the helmet could have come from, his eyes widened when he spotted a neatly written note.

"_Gear,_

_This helmet has been specially designed to aid you in your quest to control your powers. We have complete faith that you'll be able to figure it out on your own._

_-The League"_

And suddenly it all came back. The fight with the aquatic bang baby, the blackout, the Watchtower…. everything.

Dumping the helmet into his book bag, Richie yanked on his sneakers and raced downstairs.

He needed to talk to Virgil.

**O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O**

"…..A helmet?"

"Yes."

"A helmet?"

"That's right."

"A helmet."

"Yes, V, I believe we have established that," Richie said with a smirk as he took his usual seat in Chemistry class. Virgil sat next to him and frowned.

"Do you have any idea what it's supposed to do?"

"I…think it's supposed to help me with my new powers," Richie explained, taking out a piece of notebook paper so that he could begin working on the pre-class assignment that decorated the whiteboard.

"Did they tell you how to work it?" Virgil wondered, reaching over to steal the paper away from Richie to use for himself. The blonde rolled his eyes and pulled out another sheet.

"Nope."

"That's…reassuring."

Richie grinned and wrote his name in the top corner of his paper with a flourish.

"You just want an excuse for us to go back to the Watchtower."

Eyes widening at the accusation, Virgil flushed guiltily. "Only a little."

Shaking his head with a soft chortle, Richie leaned over and opened his backpack slightly, gazing into the darkness at the shiny orange surface of his newest toy.

"I wonder if they have it in green."

* * *

TBC

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End file.
